Means for stacking tire-molds



be put into the groove in the top sui-race ot the ram head or the mold therein upon. which another mold is to be stacked. A mold will then be placed upon this mold in such position that the groove in its lower surface will engage this ring, and, therefore, will accu rately center this mold with respect 'to the mold or ram head which supports it; the bevel sides ot' the hexagonal groove serving to help the centering movement.

This method of procedure will Nbe followed until the stack is as high as desired. so concentrically arranging the mold with respect to one another' in a heater press, and by also arranging the lower mold in an exact position upon the ram head within y said heater press, all of the valve stems will come to occupy positions which are equidistant from the axis of the stack. This will make it easy 'to connect each valve stern. with an axially "disposed main air .supply pipe. It will also permitvthe use of connections of standard lengths between the central air pipe and the various valve stems. It is not meant that all. or these connections are necessarily of exactly the same length, vbut it is meant that there will be substair tially standard lengths Afor use in connection with the valve stems of molds of var1 ous diameters. Itwouldperhaps be too much to claim that the exact distance between the' central air pipe and each valve stem `of molds of the same size will be exactly the same, but the variations will be very slight, and therefore little bending or twisting or lengthening'or shortening of the connections between the central supply pipe and thevalve stem will be required.

In the modified construction shown in Fig.

2 each' bottom mold section is formed with the annular groove and all or these annular grooves are concentric and or the saine dicause the centering of said molds with respect to one another. v

' Having described my invention, I claim:

l. T he combination .of a heaterpress, and its rain head, with a plurality or tire molds supported upon said ram head and stacked one upon another, the engaging upper surlace or the rain head and the upper and lower surfaces or the molds being formed with concentric annular grooves or the same diameter, and centering rings which lie in and are litted to the annular recess formed by 'the annular grooves in 'said ei'igaging surfaces, l

2. The combination or a stach oi' concentrically disposed annular tire molds supported one upon another, the engaging upper and lower surfaces or said molds being formed with concentric annular grooves of the. saniefdiameter, and centering rings which lie in and lit the annular recesses formed by the annular grooves vin the engaging surfaces or said. molds.

3. The combination or a 'plurality or concen'trically arranged annular tire molds which are supported upon one another, all of said molds having in their correspond ing engaging surfaces annular concentric grooves all of the ysame diameter, and centering rings or the same diameter adapt-- ed to lie in and fitted to said grooves, and means lfor causing each ring to maintain a concentric.connection with that face vof a mold which engages the surface of a mold in which is the groove in which said ring l lies.

4i. An annular tire mold, comprising separable. upper and lower halves, having when the two parts 'are together substantially parallel. upper and lower outside surfaces which are normal to the axis of the annu-v lar mold; said upper and lower outside surfaces being formed with annular grooves' signature. c

' BENJAMIN H. ROSE. 

